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"Once abolish God and the government becomes the God." -G.K. Chesterton

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

New Civility Doesn't Last Long

Tonight, Rep. Paul Ryan will give the Republican response to the State of the Union address. No one has heard it. No one can say for certain what it will focus on. One hopes Mr. Ryan's comments will commit our elected leaders to shoring up America's finances, reducing government bureaucracy, and saving taxpayers money - "three pillars to prosperity" that would go far in getting our economy going again and putting Americans back to work. Even the president is expected to support (at least vocally) finding new ways to reduce the $1.2 trillion deficit he and the Democrats in Congress created last year.

No matter. Rather than listen to Paul Ryan's address tonight in that dashing new tone of civility the Left has been pining for, the Democrats have gone on an all out war path to paint Mr. Ryan as a radical monster.

“This is an initial volley in a three-day effort — 72-hour window — to try to muddle Paul Ryan’s foray onto the national scene,” said a senior Senate Democratic aide.

“It’s clear from the Republican Party’s selection of Paul Ryan to be spokesman and the decision to vote on giving him unfettered control on what to cut that [Republicans] are getting behind his plan, and that makes clear they’re coming after Social Security and Medicare,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) told reporters.

“In an unsettling development for America’s seniors, ending Social Security and Medicare is now the official position of the Republican Party,” said Jon Summers, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

“We will be putting a focus on the fact that on spending matters, the Republicans are making judge, jury and executioner out of someone who, according to his Roadmap, wants to privatize Social Security,” said Senator Charles E. Schumer

Of course, these are all lies, as even the New York Times reluctantly points out:

Mr. Ryan’s plan includes an option for retirees to invest one-third of their Social Security taxes in personal investment accounts and a new program that would give older Americans a fixed payment (of up to $11,000) to buy certified private health insurance in place of traditional Medicare. It would not make any changes to Social Security and Medicare for people under 55, and Mr. Ryan has argued that the changes would preserve the programs for coming generations. [emphasis mine]

In the meantime, President Obama and the Democrats have failed to produce their own plan for fiscal restraint and responsibility, which is no surprise given the 28% increase in spending (84% if you count the stimulus) and $4.5 trillion of debt they gave us over the past two years.

I'm sure the president's address tonight will sound like the harmless purrs of a centrist kitten, but the actions of the Senate paint a clearer picture of how Democrats will be responding to calls from Republicans (and the public at large) for smarter, smaller government. They will have to be dragged kicking and screaming, or they won't go at all.